Variable condenser



Dec. 1 1925 H. M. WOLFSON VARIABLE CONDENSER Filed June 19. 1922 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 1, 1925. 1,563,416

H. M. WOLFSON VARIABLE CONDENSER I Filed June 19. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Dec. 1, 1925;.

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HENRY M. WOLFSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VARIABLE CONDENSER.

' Application filed June 19, 1922. Serial No. 569,272.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Hnnnr M. WOLFSON, acitizen of the United States, residing at 488 East 140th Street, NewYork, in the county of Bronx and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Ime provements in VariableCondensers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and improved form ofvariable. condenser.

, One of the objects of my invention is to provide a variable condenserof a simple and strong construction, which can be readily manufacturedand assembled.

Another object of my invention is to provide avariable condenser whichalthough of simple construction can be delicately regulate Anotherobject of-my invention is to provide a variable condenser especiallyadapted for use in radio receiving circuits.

Other objects of my invention will be set forth in the followingdescription and drawings which illustrate a preferred embodimentthereof.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partially in section.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. i is a bottom perspective view of the stator.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the rotor. Fig. 6 is a perspective viewof one of the rotor plates, and Fig. 7 of a stator plate.

in devices heretofore used it has been customar to have a stationarypart which may be cal ed the stator having a series of separated plateshetween which plates mounted upon a movable shaft, and forming what maybe called a rotor could be causedto enter to a reater or less extent.However, the regulation that could be accomplished by revolving theshaft of the rotor was clearly not suficient for fine tuning and it wasnecessary to provide reducing gears or the-like in order to be able torevolve the shaft of the rotor to only a slight extent. This, of course,added considerably to the complication and cost of manufacture of thearticle. According to my invention the stator and rotor plates arerespectively arranged in what may be called a helical arrangement sothat the plates of the rotor enter one by one between the lates of thestator and a very delicate regu ation can be secured.

As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, a plate 1 which can be made of anysuitable insulating material has four posts It secured thereto by meansof the nuts 12. As clearly shown in the left hand side of Fig. 1, eachsaid post has a shank of reduced width which can pass through a hole ofcorresponding size in the plate 1 and this shank can be engaged by thenut 12. The stator plates t have the form shown in Fig. 7 and have ashape substantially like a quadrant of a disc having an inner arcuateend. These stator plates 4 have orifices 5. As clearly shown in Figs. 3and 7, the holes 5 are of such size that each late 4 can he slipped upontwo of the sai rods R with its arcuate inner end adjacent the centralpart of the device.

Sleeve-like spacing members 2, 2, 3. and 3 are provided for holding thesaid stator plates 4: and in properly spaced position and the statorplates and said sleeve members are tightly pressed together by means ofthe nutsti which cooperate with the threaded bottoms of the posts B). Byreason or this construction the parts can be readily manufactured andquickly and ethciently assembled.

- The rotor consists of an externally threaded shaft 9 having index disc14 and a knurled head 15 secured thereto. As clearly shown in Fig. 6each rotor plate 1'? has an orifice 18, a downward tongue 19 and arecess 20. It is also clear that each rotor plate 17 also has thegeneral shape of a uadrant of a disc. The consecutive plates 1 of therotor occupy consecutive quadrants as shown in Fig. 5 with the tongue 19ot. each upper late 17 fitting into the recess 20 of the adjacent lowerplate. This is also clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The orifice 1d of each rotor plate 17 is of sufficient diameter toenable the said plate to be slipped over the bolt like extension 9' ofthe shalt 9. As can be clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 5 a series or"sleeves 21 serve-to keep the respective rotor plates 17 in propervertical relationship and the sleeve 21 and rotor plates 1? are firmlyclamped into position by means of the nut 22 located at the threadedbottom of the extension 9. Hencethe completel assembled rotor has itsplates 17 firmy 100 ed against'all vertical movement and against alltransverse movement. Before the indicator or index disc 14 and the head15 are secured to the shaft 9, the top of the said shaft can be passedabove the top stator plate 4 and through the central. opening in thedisc 1. This central opening is threaded and an external bushing 7 canbe secured in the said opening and this can be firmly held in osition bymeans of the nut 8. The outer bus ing 7 has its central opening threadedso that an, externally threaded inner bushing 10 can be adjustablysecured in osition. The opening of the said inner bus ing 10 is alsothreaded so that it can cooperate with the external thread of the shaft9. By revolving the inner bushing 10 so that it moves up and down in theouter bushin 7 the shaft 9'may be vertically adjusted without revolvingit. This is to insure the proper relative posltion of the topmost rotorplate 17 with respect to. the bottom stator plate 4 ,so that'the rotorplates can move-between the stator lates and also upwardly so that therotor p ates and the stator plates have a relation similar to thecooperating threading of a nut and the bolt.

The inner bushing 10 has an upper part without any threading and of areduced diameter and this can be engaged by means of the set screw 11 soas to firmly lock the inner bushing 10 without injuring any part of thethreading thereof.

When the parts are thus assembled, the

- index disc- 14 and the .knurled head 15 can metho be secured to theshaft 9 by any suitable of the stator plates. It is obvious that as theshaft 9 is further revolved that more of the rotor plates 17 passbetween the stator plates 4, so that the capacity .of the condenser isvery delicately and graduall increased by a. relatively large revolutionof the shaft 9.

A suitable index 16 is preferably secured to the late 1 so that itcooperates with the index 14 to indicate the capacity of the condenser.

I have shown a preferred embodiment of my im roved condenser and ofmyimproved for bringing the rotor plates and stator plates into theoperative position but it is obvious that numerous omissions and changescould be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Wherever the parts are referred to either in the description or in theclaims by numeradjacent plate, each sai movement about the vertical axisif the con-' denser is so held that its axis is vertical.

Of course, the operation'of my condenser is the same, no matter how theaxis thereof is held.

It is obvious that if desired, the series of plates of the stator couldbe joined to form a continuous helical windin similar to the internalthread of a nut. orrespondingly, the series of plates of the rotor couldbe joined to form a similar helical winding, like the threading of abolt. Such strnctures are obvious equivalents for the one illustrated inthe embodiment before described. -Such parts could be cheaply made by asingle casting.

' The series of stator plates are equivalent to and may be referred toas stator plate means, and'the series of rotor'plates may be similarlyreferred to as rotor plate means. I believe that I am thefirst toprovide a condenser'whereby the capacity is varied by a simultaneousvertical and horizontal movement of the rotor plate means with respectto the stator plate means.

I claim:

1. A condenser having a plurality of helically arranged and stationaryplates and a plurality of movable plates arranged in like helicalarrangement, and means for rotating; and vertically moving said movableplates adapted to successively introduce them between said stationaryplates.

2. A condenser having a series of substan tially quadrantal stationaryplates which are' vertically spaced from each other and occupysuccessive quadrants, a series of quadrantal movable plates similarlyarranged, and means for rotating and vertically moving said movableplates adapted to cause them to successively pass between saidstationary plates- 3. In a condenser, a threaded shaft having anextension threaded at its bottom, a series of plates each having arecess and each having a tongue engagin the recess of the plate havingan orifice whereby it can be mounted on said extension, spacing sleevesmounted on said extension between said plates which are mounted on saidextension, and a nut adapted to clamp said plates and spacing memberstogether.

4.'A condenser having a stationary part provided with stator platemeans, a revoluble shaft having rotor plate means mounted thereon andspaced from said stator plate varied, the said revoluble shaft having ameans, and means adapted to cause such sifree longitudinal movement withres ect to 10 multaneous revolutioniof said shaft and such saidstationary part which exceeds tie dislongitudinal movement thereon, thatsaid tance between said stator plate means and 5 rotor plate means andsaid stator pla'te sald ro qr' plate meansv means remain spaced fromeach othefand III lmony whereof 'h r n o X my the length of said rotorplate means inteig 5 -p0sedfbetween said stator plate means is e HENRYM. VVOLFSON.

